Plus-Size Yogi on How Yoga Changed Her Life: ??Anybody With a Body Can Do Yoga??

A plus-size yogi has revealed how her physical practice helped her combat insecurities and launch a career in health.

Crystal Holt was once too embarrassed to attend a yoga class.

??I didn??t want anyone else seeing my big butt bent over and in the air or boobs trying to escape my shirt,?? she wrote for Mamamia.

??I would do a YouTube video class at home sometimes, but halfway through I would end up??sitting on the couch??just watching. I told myself, I??m paying for the gym membership; I better use it.??

Today, Holt not only nails difficult??poses, but is also a??yoga teacher encouraging others to come out of their shells.

??I was scrolling through Facebook one day and saw??Dana Falsetti??and??Jessamyn Stanley, both plus-size yoga teachers breaking that stereotype and bringing yoga to all bodies.

??I thought to myself, ??I can do this.’??

??Anyone with a body can do yoga!?? she declared. ??Bring your saggy boobs, flappy arms, and jiggly butts to the mat and try it out. Don??t worry about looking dumb, because everyone else is also too wrapped up in their own worries about their bodies to notice yours.??

Her message is spot-on, but the body ambassador admits the quest for??self-love was no easy task. When Holt signed??up to become an instructor, her body worries began creeping back.

??I signed up for my first teacher training and canceled??just two days later,?? he said. ??I was so scared to step out of my comfort zone, into a world that I thought I didn??t belong.??

After some reflection, Holt decided she wouldn??t let negative self-talk hold her back. She signed up for a new training course, got her credentials ?‘± and the rest is history.

??Now I??m able to not just say yoga is for everyone but actually show it. Screw those social media stereotypes of what a yoga body should look like. ????Actual yoga practice is not about looking like a ??yogi?? at all; it??s about connecting the mind and body.??